All the drama happening at SM...The major changes happening!

SM will be fine, they still got the Super Seniors and their "sorry sorry" dance. lol

We'll know it within next several months when LSM officially return.

If some of these idols ended up in his new company then...

Half of those idols didn't just leave SM. They've been gone for years. They probably left for all different reasons as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the change in management was a factor for some, but some didn't exactly like the previous management either.

Quote from sonemariam

MHJ would have made a group in SM now had she stayed longer!

A NewJeans-esque group at SM... Interesting...

If there isn't some big deal between all those who left and LSM... I'll eat my Binky Bong lol

Quote from sonemariam

I bet LSM has something to do with it. Loyalists always follow the hearts of their leaders.

maybe he will also take aespa away?? arent they renewing soon?

pretty sure he wants them back, they're his gg. a bit like njs mhj brain child.

Quote from sonemariam

MHJ would have made a group in SM now had she stayed longer!

I doubt it, i feel sm got overtaken by executives and the likes of chris lee.

it's probably worse than ever in ther...

and more groups need to leave, it's just an emtpy shell atp without mhj and lsm.

Quote from Tatiana1820

maybe he will also take aespa away?? arent they renewing soon?

pretty sure he wants them back, they're his gg. a bit like njs mhj brain child.

Contracts up early next year...

Quote from Tatiana1820

I doubt it, i feel sm got overtaking by executives and the likes of chris lee.

it's probably worse than ever in ther...

and more groups need to leave, it's just an emtpy shell atp without mhj and lsm.

I think if what happened with C-suite at SM didn't happen, then the chances would've been higher.

I do remember there were rumours that HYBE was wanting to put MHJ on SM's board, or propose she's the CEO of the label. I think they wanted rid of her since back then 🤔🤔

Quote from sonemariam

SM is now more profit driven than ever before. It seems like achievements matter less or no more without profit. This makes them more structured than before which makes it harder to promote anyone who doesn't make as much as they want or expect.

Hybe are thieves. They robbed mhj of her project. All they wanted was to use her but she proved smarter so they got rid of her.

She's a mix of dumb and clever. Clever enough to create one of the biggest GGs in history. Dumb enough to not look at contracts and let someone else handle them 😅😅

Love her work and creative; scorn the individual's moves and too trusting nature 😅😅

It seems she thought the industry were as friendly as SM... It really isn't 🥴🥴

According to this article, LSM set up the Korean branch of A2O in October... Guess who set up her label in October...

Lee Soo-man Returns to K-pop with New Boy Group

Lee Soo-man Returns to K-pop with New Boy Group Ends HYBE Non-Compete Agreement, Launches A20 Entertainments Debut Group

www.chosun.com

give me an L

give me a S

give me an M

Lee Soo-man Returns to K-pop with New Boy Group

Ends HYBE Non-Compete Agreement, Launches A20 Entertainment's Debut Group

Lee Soo-man, who founded SM Entertainment in 1995 and is regarded as the "K-pop patriarch" for pioneering Korean pop music, is returning to the domestic entertainment industry. His movements toward a domestic comeback have been detected ahead of the expiration of the "non-compete" period agreed upon with HYBE.

According to industry sources on the 4th, A20 Entertainment, established by producer Lee Soo-man in October last year, will launch a rookie boy group during the first half of this year, beginning its full-scale offensive in the domestic market.

A20 Entertainment registered with the aim of engaging in music and other audio publication businesses, as well as management, similar to general entertainment agencies. Recently, it has also secured a domestic foothold by establishing its headquarters in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The representative listed is internal director Lee Jin-kyu. Director Lee Jin-kyu is the nephew of producer Lee Soo-man and the elder brother of Girls' Generation member Sunny, Lee Soon-kyu.

Producer Lee Soo-man entered into a "non-compete" agreement not to produce albums domestically for three years when he sold his SM shares to HYBE, led by Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, in February 2023. Consequently, the idol group "A20 MAY," first introduced by A20 Entertainment, has been active primarily in the Chinese and American markets.

The industry’s attention is focused on this as it is the first boy group that producer Lee Soo-man has introduced since NCT. Producer Yoo Young-jin, who has collaborated with him for a long time, and Girls’ Generation’s Sunny have joined A20 Entertainment to lend their support.

At the Asian Hall of Fame Awards ceremony late last year, producer Lee Soo-man expressed his determination to remain active, stating, "Music is a universal language that connects us all and my lifelong language that bridges strangers."

Source: https://www.chosun.com/english…C7VPYQGVGGHO6O62PISMOLNE/

Quote from selfmate

give me an L

give me a S

give me an M

Lee Soo-man Returns to K-pop with New Boy Group

Ends HYBE Non-Compete Agreement, Launches A20 Entertainment's Debut Group

Lee Soo-man, who founded SM Entertainment in 1995 and is regarded as the "K-pop patriarch" for pioneering Korean pop music, is returning to the domestic entertainment industry. His movements toward a domestic comeback have been detected ahead of the expiration of the "non-compete" period agreed upon with HYBE.

According to industry sources on the 4th, A20 Entertainment, established by producer Lee Soo-man in October last year, will launch a rookie boy group during the first half of this year, beginning its full-scale offensive in the domestic market.

A20 Entertainment registered with the aim of engaging in music and other audio publication businesses, as well as management, similar to general entertainment agencies. Recently, it has also secured a domestic foothold by establishing its headquarters in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The representative listed is internal director Lee Jin-kyu. Director Lee Jin-kyu is the nephew of producer Lee Soo-man and the elder brother of Girls' Generation member Sunny, Lee Soon-kyu.

Producer Lee Soo-man entered into a "non-compete" agreement not to produce albums domestically for three years when he sold his SM shares to HYBE, led by Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, in February 2023. Consequently, the idol group "A20 MAY," first introduced by A20 Entertainment, has been active primarily in the Chinese and American markets.

The industry’s attention is focused on this as it is the first boy group that producer Lee Soo-man has introduced since NCT. Producer Yoo Young-jin, who has collaborated with him for a long time, and Girls’ Generation’s Sunny have joined A20 Entertainment to lend their support.

At the Asian Hall of Fame Awards ceremony late last year, producer Lee Soo-man expressed his determination to remain active, stating, "Music is a universal language that connects us all and my lifelong language that bridges strangers."

Source: https://www.chosun.com/english…C7VPYQGVGGHO6O62PISMOLNE/

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If the juggernaught of LSM-MHJ come together, Bongo's head will explode LOL

Do we think Bongo had some sort of corporate death wish by trying to drag MHJ down and get her to leave?

It's like he was trying to enact a prophecy to get them to work together, so that he'd have competition outside of the company lol

for boa she probably has had enough from music.

the rest of them are clearly unhappy with SM, so they are free to leave.

Any company has employees that are unhappy and leave.

Quote from sonemariam

I don't know but I feel like BoA still wants to do music but she's not been given the attention she requires. For example, she only got to tour in Japan and only Singapore and Tapei for a day each in 2024 I think. She's never had a proper Asian tour, and her tour dates kept reducing from many in Japan to just like only five. Artists tour more as they age not less because their popularity keeps growing. TVXQ is a very good example. Super Junior too. I don't know who was bigger at their peak between TVXQ and BoA but TVXQ sold out stadiums in Asia even in China.

It was obvious that SM was only doing the bare minimum for her for some good years now.

hmm well if boa does start touring and making music in the future we will know that it was SM holding her back.

This is probably a boiling hot take, but all of the good parts of LSM were still at SM (proper vocal training, strict dance training, etc) but they kinda gained better production after he left. LSM would have never released Focus by H2H or Whiplash by Aespa (or any of their bops)

Quote from bangmenah

strict dance training

I disagree.

Quote from CaraFIMIE

I disagree.

Being able to sing while dancing* training. Plus their main dancers and visuals are always great dancers.

Well, today is the day... The non-compete ends today, so we'll see what happens from here on out (I bet $100 he's MHJ's backer for OOAK! LOL)

Quote from sonemariam

Ok.

I prefer the older Exo discography to their new one.

Their first album, those R&B rich songs, smooth vocals and adlibs are why I fell for them and they don't do that much anymore. Red Velvet's Velvet side had really good songs too. Their last few albums were very different.

Aespa is killing it though so that's a good thing

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I think Red Velvet and fx had their own one of a kind production that was MEANT to be different. I’ve never really been a fan of boy groups so i cant really judge EXOs production pre v post LSM, but wasnt the slave contract scandal under LSM too?